The present invention relates generally to an article of footwear, and in particular to an article of footwear with a removable heel insert.
Articles of footwear with removable heel buckets or other similar heel inserts that are located in the heel area of a shoe have been proposed. These heel inserts are typically used for improving the fit about a user's heel, reducing movement of the heel in the shoe, and improving overall comfort. Many of the known inserts extend circumferentially around the interior and/or edge of the upper in the heel portion. Some of these inserts use a mechanical connection to secure the inserts to the shoe, while at least one insert is connected to the heel counter in the shoe. Many of the known inserts have some sort of cushioning for customizing the fit of the shoe or for comfort. For example, Resnick (U.S. Pat. No. 2,088,976) is directed to a heel insert with a top portion that is rolled outwardly over the top edge of the quarter portion to form a channel of varying width which uses pressure to grip the edge of the shoe adjacent the front ends of the insert. Since the channel is wider at the rear and gradually narrows toward the front, pressure is only applied to the front edges of the shoe where the channel has narrowed to secure the insert to the shoe. Likewise, Auger et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,188 B2) is directed to a heel insert that is positioned entirely within the upper and against an interior surface of the heel counter. Projections are located on an inner surface of the heel insert where they snap into apertures on an inner surface of the heel counter. The heel insert may include varying amounts of cushioning.